The conference “Climate Action and Human Wellbeing at a Crossroads: Historical Transformation or Backlash?” was held as a preface to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany, in November 2017. The conference was hosted by the German Development Institute (Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik - DIE) in cooperation with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

Some 300 experts from research, politics, civil society, business and the media, including climate negotiators, met to discuss the future of global cooperation and options for decarbonising the global economy in a socially responsible manner. A particular focus was placed on the perspective of developing countries, rising powers and small island nations.

A ten-point memorandum entitled “The Climate – Justice – Cooperation Nexus: 10 Cornerstones of the Great Transformation towards Sustainability” was presented as the outcome of the conference. This memorandum defines key global challenges for the coming years and calls upon state and non-governmental actors to accelerate their efforts to tackle climate change.

It was presented and discussed with participants representing multiple perspectives from climate negotiators, private and public sectors, artists and scientists from many disciplines ranging from social science to engineering.

The memorandum calls upon policy-makers and business leaders to address the following issues among others at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn:

• Renewal of the positive spirit of the Paris agreement in order to place international cooperation on a foundation of trust.• Consistent and coordinated implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.• Socially responsible decarbonisation of the global economy.• Use of new technologies to drive the transformative change towards sustainability.• A comprehensive and reliable strategy for financing sustainable development around the world, with a particular focus on the poorest countries.